The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1887-04-01
The Home Rule Struggle.

| Aho Sieat parliamentary Udttic OVeT COcfclOI
Is we'll under way in the British parliament
The Salisbury ministry has introduced its bill
which, after the Tory fashion, proposes punish
ment for the fleets of disease before doing any
thing to cure the disease. For by the agree.
ment OF the Conservatives and the Liberia
Unionists to attempt solution of the Irish dif
ticulty, at a later day, with land purchas,
measure and the enlargement of the powers o
local boards, the existence Of the disease, tn
evils OF the present system Of landlordism, tht
need Of something like home rule are recog
nizcd, while nothing is proposed but scheme
of coercion and punishment against the Irish
people; dtfinite legislative proposals to right
the wrongs are left to the chances of the future
The bill introduced by Under. Secretary Bal
four, for which vote of urgency is dem tnded
is the S7th measure of the kind ia the 81 year.
CT the anion and it Is monstrous measure
1t virtually suspends altogether trial by jury
1t empowers any Tory magistrate without @
jury trial, and with or without evidence to i'm.
prison whom he peases, for maximum period
OF six months. For the gravcr offences it pro
vides for a shifting OF venue, so that the trials
may occur any where in England, where the
government may feel sure of getting English
juries to convict. While it does not directly
abolish liberty Of the press, it reaches the same
result by ndirecion, for 1t includes inciting to
disturbance among the ofienses which may be
tried without jury. This is worse than an
established censorship OF the press, fer, in
etf.ct, it provides for number of petty GEN.
sures of more or less irresponsibility Any
Tory magistrate who sees something in paper
which be does not like, and which he conceives
| to be an Indictment to revolt, would have au-
| thority, under this bil to haul tAe editors be-
| fore him, and commit them summarily to Jail.
| Tue proposed law has no limitation in time like
its predecessor, but remains In force until i. Is
| repealed.
No wonder that Mr. Parnell promptly char
acteriz I'd 1t as the sevorest measure Of the kind
ever proposed In parliament, and Mr. Dillon
said that it meant nothing less than SLAYER y
and it was received by men like Gladstone and
Morley with an intense in iignatioa that has
been scarcely parallee in English parliament
ary history The Pail Mall Glzstte voices only
manly sentiment when it says "Such measure
subiecting nation, white skinned, Christian
and civilized, to arbitrary interference with the
elementary liberties and rights of man would
justify an ~insurrection." Gladstone's speech
in opposition was one of the most masterful
Of his career. He declared that instead of
being cure for Irish ills or even palliative,
it was measure that would aggravate the worst
disorders. He denounced ths provision that
Irish trials he held in England rs insulting
and exasperating proposals-the worst ever
submitted to parliament; and he showed that
to establish what was formerly only tempo
rary remedy as the permanent rule of existence
for society in Ireland woHld put label OF
nferiority upon Ireland forever, rec,pnizlng
as fixed principle that forcs wa, remedy.
The lesson ofmany years showed that force
was no remedy. He made decisive use Of
the report OF the govern nen.'s own commission
which declared after thorough Investigation
that readjustment of the scale OF rents was
necessary for any rightful settlement of the
diff :ulties, and he supplemented this with
an exhaustive review OF the facts from everv
direction to show that at tie very timc these
screws OF tyranny were being applied Ireland
was more peaceful and law. abiding than ever.
and that the ministry declaration that crime
was increasing, unsupported by statistics. was
false and misleading The only "crime" that
prevails is the orderly and peaceful combira
tion to obtain lower rents. In all the counties
the reports of the criminal courts show the sit.
uation to be more favorable than ever before.
In Meath Justice Fitzgibbons said: "There is
an abserce Of anything Of the character of &C.
rious crime In Longford Chief Barron
PRIZES charged the grand jury that she was
happy TO inform them that their duties we're
light" In Kings Justice Lawson congratula.-
ed the court that The county wac in satisfac-
tory condition. In West Meath there was only
one accusation considered, and that resulted in
a discharge, and in Louth the situation was
similar. Ia Carlow Baron Dowss was happy |
over very light calendar. In Lei,rim Judge |
Murphy had only four causes to dispose Of. |
Tie grand juries at the assizss of seven couI- I
tics had in allal7 cases Of alleged crime pre-
scnted TO them.
Not an answer to this arraigument by the
great Liberal leader could the Tories or their
allies make. They could only taunt him With
inconsistency in having once besn an adyocats
Of coercion himself, and even this feeble rarry
WAS left t. Goscien, james AMI Chamberlain
he latter Of whom showed his half ,art.i at.
tude by declaring that ".n.imNation is Sd
perfect in ireland, that the commistal of out.
ages Is unnecessary" Tas Is an oTsn,ivo and
PARTISAN way of saying, as Gen Buer did under
path before the royal land commission. that all
he law there is Ia IRELAND Is due to he fluence
,f the national league, and therefore that it Is
ime t, seek to do justice instead of attempting
government b I'd msj ,rity OF 50 against Mr.
dor.ey's motion 10 ietuse precedence 10 the
ill, bul IL c figures are significant of weak
less on the fiual test. Thir,y-two Cjnscrva
ives stayed aNay or absti!nei from voting,
iid If the Gladstonians and Parnolltes ha d.
nticipatcd this abstsntor, the sjJfity wonld
ave been no more than 6i, while many mem
ers who supported illsoury and b ,lfou-, dill
0 with q1ai;f ,auoa5 AL ar, liibi, to fall
way during the progress Of the dc
ate. Mr Morley predicts government sue
,ss on this bill, and Mr. Morley mentions five {
r six years as the period Int may elapss be-
IRE the Irish and their Liberal sympathizers :
i'll prevail. But he is sure of Ultimate sue. I
.ss and ready 10 bate for it, aid at this dis
Ince all the Indications psint to much earlier ,
cfory. :
TIE Boston Chamber of Commerce has al !,
,sdy raiscda protest against tie interstate h
ommeIce law because under 1, The railroads
ave determined TO charge her more than New Z